lady poppy's first birthday inspiration

I am so excited for lady Poppy's first birthday. I think because she's a girl it feels new, so I couldn't wait to share the plans with you.

Color palette, same as her when-she-moves bedroom:

Source: theeverygirl.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

The cake, and though ours won't look as lovely and polished, it'll be close enough for a 12-month old to smash her face in it...

Source: weddingbells.ca via Jennifer on Pinterest

And a few big, round balloons because they're so girly!

Source: elizabethdunnfootwear.blogspot.com via Matty on Pinterest

And my newest party craze, the tissue tassel garland:

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Though I'd have to say that this tassel tutorial is the best, easiest to follow, and most efficient I've seen yet.

I'm considering this cake recipe, though Poppy tends toward the all-out chocolate--rich, dark chocolates. The kind we can't afford. Ha!

Source: plumprettysugar.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Or this if I get all craze-ay.

Source: recipebyphoto.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

We did this for Ace's 2nd birthday and he loved it, so I think it could be a really cool, fun tradition to start for every birthday, every kid. It feels so special!

Source: grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

And these as goodie-bags for the little people, because it's what I would want as a kid, it's what I want as a parent, and it's not too much stuff for a first birthday party!

Source: stephaniehowell.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

And this is one of the very few gifts I'm giving her, which has even more meaning when I think of how prudence is my favorite and most hard-won virtue (meaning I haven't won it yet):

Source: prudentbaby.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

There you have it! Now I've got to just finish the invitations (I should have hired Nellie Design) and get them out to family before it's too late:)

Have a lovely day, friends.

icj,
~j

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better late than never

So, we're learning. We have the most wonderful little boy, and we're discerning every day what he needs, wants, and should have just because we love him. Not gonna lie---I'm exhausted. I've been back to work full-time for 2 weeks now, and with Hawk back from paternity leave (yup, his job gave him 2 weeks!!!), we're now in the thick of reality. This is what it's going to be like. Honestly, I'm going a bit bonkers. I think about Hawk and Ace pretty much every second of the day. And while I really have one the best jobs around, it is quite the challenge to feel like I'm giving to the job without sacrificing something of Ace. That kills. So I'd rather be exhausted and attending to his needs, paying attention to him when we're together, and wondering how I can love him better.


Thus, it was GREAT to take a load off this past weekend. We went to a friend's for dinner Saturday night and took Sunday nice and slow. Now, I grew up in Green Bay. I was there when Favre took us to the Superbowl in '97. My parents make this great taco soup with cornbread just about every game day. We even purchased 2 plots of Frozen Tundra when they sold off the field block by block. But it wasn't until I married a Milwaukee man that we decided to buy Packer gear.


Here we are. We purchased these items the day of the Packers-Bears game. Excuse the watermark. My new Mac doesn't have the correct fonts...Oh, and we purchased BOTH of these in the KIDDIE section! That's right. Cheaper and nice and tight. Hawk did buy "husky" though. Nothing like a husky man.

Ace now has 3 onesies to choose from. You can't see it here because we dressed him in the most adorable white polar bear coverall (we have one brown and one blue on for later growth). 

Precious, eh?

Hope you're having a lovely week! Tomorrow, we'll go for a funky Etsy Friday. See you then!

icj,

~j

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A couple Fridays ago, we threw a small dessert-and-drinks party for our single neighbors or those with young children. It was really hard to limit the guest list, but we wanted it to be personal. I spent the day before and the afternoon of baking orange-ginger scones, iced pumpkin cookies (the best!!!), triple-berry bran muffins, and a raspberry-apple pie. 

I've found I'm happier at a party when there is a little extra decoration and soothing, appropriate aromas. We lit that favorite candle of mine, Autumn by Slatkin, and I set up limited decor around the first floor to create just enough of that autumn feel without being overwhelming.

Here is my list of supplies:

• Big white pumpkin, and 9 small orange pumpkins and gourds from Stein's Gardens & Gifts (total cost, $9.00).
• Red leaves purchased from Michael's after last autumn's season. Cost under $2.00.
• Fresh apples from Sendik's. Whatever looked festive and was still under $1.39 per lb.
• Mason jars at $6.99 for a dozen 16 oz. jars at Pick'N'Save. $6.99!
• Strips of muslin fabric left over from previous projects over the years.
• Two dozen white and orange-flame roses from Sendik's for $5.00 per dozen. Total of $10.00 for 24 roses!
• Fresh cranberries from Sendik's for 2 for $5.00.
• Small glass globe vases from a rummage sale in August. 4 for $2.00.

Here is the centerpiece in our dining room. Note, this was clearly taken the day after the party. You can see our leftover scones and the remnants from the iced pumpkin cookies in the background (for shame!).

We positioned pumpkins in groupings in only three areas so they would stand out, but again, refrain from overwhelming our visual senses. So one bowl of 4 roses when on the living room hutch.

The majority of the roses when in the dining room on the buffet to add color.

And another small bunch went in the living room nearest the door seating area. Still leaves enough room for people to put drinks down, but brightens up that corner.

And here is a glimpse of my first-ever raspberry-apple pie! 

I thought I overfilled it, so I removed some of the filling prior to baking. Good to know for the future. And I chose not to cover the top with a full layer of pie crust because I didn't have a rolling pin or enough time. And yes, a few tiny portions are perhaps a little crisp. But all in all, it was delicious and made me happy to eat. I firmly believe that in baking items like this, an 80% success is a complete success. It improves from there, and it's still edible and mostly pretty!

Hopefully tonight I'll be finishing our first DIY nursery art project so I can show you in the morning. 

Happy Wednesday!

icj,

~j

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two little shindigs

We like to entertain at thishawksnest, so Hawk was kind enough to throw me a little 30th party and open up the house to all our friends. We had a great turn out, and we're so grateful so many were able to make it (and stay until so long!), but we also had to laugh.


Hawk and I planned two parties without realizing it: he planned a kegger, and I had little notes and projects up for people to do for fun. We are dorks. But everyone took advantage of it anyway!


This first photo says it all:

We moved the large dining room bench into the living room to create more seating space:

And cleared out the dining room for dishes to pass (and yes, we realize we REALLY need to get something on those walls!). You can also see two of the three fabrics we're weighing for curtains.

Because our basement has that nice 70's faux paneling and we planned on putting the keg down there, I thought it would be fun to display our old trophies and Hawk's many golfing plaques. 

We've got a few like Carlos Lee, three of the five Miller Park Racing Sausages, Dwight Schruit, Al McGuire, and even my Kite Award from 1987:)

Okay, the girly time. I'm a little embarrassed that I did this, but it turned out to be fun! I made two stations near the keg: first, a photo station, and second, a quote station. I thought it would be neat to have people write quotes on extra fabric I had, and then to frame them. 

Here's Jared pinning his to our photo backdrop:

And props. You need props for a good photo "booth."

We ended up with a number of great shots. Some were a little, shall we say, risque, but the rest are fun enough to post:

This last one is my favorite. I love how it looks like it could actually be a Christmas card, all Hallmark-like.

Last but not least, I was teasing our friend, musician Mike Mangione of Mike Mangione & the Union (he's worth the plug!) about his earring holes and dared him to wear my earings. He did! I think this should be their next album insert:

And if you're wondering about this little teaser:

Check back tomorrow after Etsy Friday! We'll show you what it's all about.

Thanks for checking us out today!

icj,

`j

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30 Challenge: Moodboard from Lavender&Lilies

Good morning, readers! This weekend was eventful and delightful. We partied it up old-school style, so more on that to come later in the week. 


I'm honored to host our second guest poster today: Jessica from Lavender & Lilies. I've been partaking of her style and grace for many months now, and I'm always pleased with the eye candy I receive. She's fun, she's fresh, and she's exactly 365 days younger than I am. How fun is that?!


Here's her post:


Hi!  I'm so glad to be guest blogging for Jennifer today!  My name is Jessica and I own the blog, Lavender and Lilies.  Jennifer asked me to post about something to do with the number 30.  I just turned 29 and so my 30th Birthday Party is definitely something I am looking forward to.  Here's my ideas for a perfect early Spring (because we are all craving Spring in early March) Birthday party.  Super cute filled with pastels and gorgeous blooms.  Enjoy!

For those of you unfamiliar with MoodBoards (normally not capitalized in such a way), here's a brief tutorial...


A moodboard is a collection of photographs, tangible items, etc., that showcase a particular color scheme and 'mood' you hope to bring out in whatever event or room you plan. In the above moodboard, we've got a very cheerful and yet sophisticated color scheme broken into relevant parts: invitation, decorating, lighting, cake, and flowers. 


Please mosey on over to Jessica's blog when you have the chance!


Thank you, Jessica! 


icj,
~j

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How to throw an almost-perfect dinner party for 10: part III...letting go

So we've had a couple posts about hosting a dinner party. What to do, and what to do better.

Despite the challenges of the evening, it was a success. In the first post, we mentioned offering entertainment and being able to enjoy each other's company. For each person, couple, or family this differs. For the Hawks, we chose two things: music and questions. For those of you who know us personally, you can pretty much guess who does what best.

First, we broke out the questions. I (jen) always wanted to do this so after a friend from work mentioned that she does something similar and it's a big hit, I went with it. I use this box:

This gives me an appealing way to store the questions (a.k.a., not lose them) and also helps the presentation. Let's face it, when we tell a bunch of adults that they're going to write down and then answer question around the table, there will likely be a bit of groaning, rolling eyes, etc.

And provide slips of paper on which our guests are asked to write any question in the world:

And then we put them back in the box, 

have everyone draw one, and go around and listen to their answers. Note: it's not an "icebreaker"! We do this after the meal and many drinks have been consumed. The conversation that comes forth is fantastic and different every time if we don't anticipate what someone will answer, or force the conversation one way.

After the questions and much to his chagrin, our guests and I convinced Hawk to break out his old and new mandolins. At least one other person in the group knew how to play. Here he is explaining how he chose the Mandolin Store's Custom Gibson F5-G while Eric plays in the background:

Here we are enjoying three separate conversations. One of Gianna, Hawk, and Eric to the left, one of Colin and myself, and one with the other five on the right.

Eric breaking out Hawk's guitar and leading us in a rendition of Blackbird by the Beatles.

I love this next photo; it just seems old-school, classic, and it captures the devilish look our friend Colleen often has in her eyes:

We have a few videos of the evening which are brilliant! They include guitar-led group singing (with most of us forgetting the words) and an opera singer letting loose! When I figure out how to edit and post them through vimeo, I'll let you know. This may be another year at my rate.

Happy Thursday!

icj,

~j

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how to throw an almost-perfect dinner party for 10: part II...i wish we had

So yesterday, we posted about how we prepared our house, menu, and "atmosphere" for the dinner party. Now, let's go over a few of our mistakes...

The Menu:
Jen planned things out pretty well--based on previous experience. But she didn't anticipate that while it only took 25 minutes to cook the Near East Rice Pilaf (found it!), it would take 50-60 minutes to cook two boxes together. 


Mistake #1: So the steaks were ready---perfect, even---at 7:30, but because the rice was still going, we tented the steaks to let them cook a wee bit longer and let them cool a bit. 


And cool they did. And cook they did. By the time the rice was done and we'd eaten our salads, the steaks were, shall we say, this color:

sherwin williams

One long look of gray, with a touch of pink inside. Of course, our guests told us it was "perfect," "brilliant," and "like Mr. B's," but that is due more to their generosity than the actual appearance of the steak.


And as for that salad, mistake #2: Even if you like salad without much on it, put something besides dressing on it! Even though I (jen) like plain greens with a little dressing, for a dinner party, I should have added some cheese, toasted almonds, cranberries, something! Instead of presenting something simple, we looked boring.


Here's a tip: If you find yourself explaining the way you present something, as I did, then you missed something, and you're really just apologizing for what you know you should have done.  


Then, there was the wine...We didn't have enough. Hawk had to run out and grab a couple extra bottles. Could have been worse, but he saved it. And at the very least, we were able to enjoy a bottle of this:

cigarzin

I really like this wine. Thanks to Dr. Hawk for making us look so good!


Lastly, mistake #3: We should have provided dessert. Even a little sherbet or something. Anything! Granted, the last time I served this, we wouldn't have had room, but with ten people...serve dessert! 

alitaylor 

There were more than a few "ugh" moments, but we made it through because we were learning with the company of gracious friends. We offer you these little tidbits to spare you the same gaufaw-time...


Good luck to you!


icj,
~j

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how to throw an almost-perfect dinner party for 10: part I, being prepared for...

The Art of Hosting a Dinner Party for Ten..
Almost-perfect is our operative phrase for this little blogging session. 

I'm going to walk you through our first "real" dinner party---ever---and what we did well and what we need to work on. I find this sort of information invaluable for those of you starting out in your first marriage, house, etc. 


"The Ten" invited to the aforementioned dinner party included 4 couples who have taken great care and love to mentor Hawk and I in the art of hosting. While I wouldn't say this is necessarily a lost art, I do think my generation has little experience in hosting them and only a dip more experience as guests.


What defines a "dinner party" vs. "friends over for dinner?"
In our reflection, we find the primary difference to be about the intent: what do we intend for our guests? The answer defines the difference between the two types of dinner. 


When throwing a dinner party, we want our guests to have an experience. By this, we mean that from the moment they walk in the door to the moment they leave, our guests should feel that they were hosted, that is, a) that their hosts prepared the space for them, b) prepared a menu (versus "food"), c) prepared the bar, and d) prepared entertainment.


These preparations differ from "friends over for dinner" in that the latter requires little forethought, little preparation. Sure, the counter may be scrubbed, floors swept, and great food served, but when a friend comes over for dinner in this way, it is as if they are in their own home.


A dinner party requires that guests receive an experience of being prepared for, attended to at every moment, and enjoyed despite any mishaps.


Today, we will explain how we prepared for our guests.


First, the Menu.
Jen chose the menu three days prior to the dinner. She went for a combination of foods that are both tasty and on the gourmet side, and also were repeats. Here is the menu:
Pancetta-wrapped Filet Mignon with Sun-dried Tomato & Goat Cheese
Rice Pilaf
Boston & Romaine Salad with Raspberry-Kick Vinaigrette
Momma Shedd's Homemade Toffee (what is possibly left after our Christmas feast!)
Two bottles of red wine, one higher-quality, one lesser
Twelve-pack of beer for non-wine drinkers
Soda, regular & diet

Here's what made this menu wise:
Jen has made the steaks before, and they were incredible! All the ingredients are readily available at the local market. The rice pilaf was a brilliant box mix (I'm out, so when I remember what it is, I'll post it if you want to know), so no pressure there. The salad was simple--just lettuce and homemade dressing. The dressing is a very simple and tangy recipe Jen altered. Since we had the rice, dressing ingredients, and twelve-pack ready, our total bill for 10 guests including 10 cuts of 8 oz. filets came to just shy of $75.00!


Here's what made this menu stupid:
Ugh. That's a later post. I promise. All the dreadful details will be brought into the light.


Second, the space.
Hawk had to work late, complete mandolin lessons, and coach the evenings prior to the party, so that meant that Jen had to get a few things done ahead of time (see the checklist below). Remember, the hosts must be ready to receive guests. No running upstairs to shower or do hair. The party was Wednesday, so on Monday night, she scrubbed all the hardwood floors throughout the living and dining rooms. Really scrubbed. Washed as many dishes as needed to be washed, and picked up anything that was laying around and shouldn't be. Not true, complete cleaning, just enough to make it easier the day-of.


Jen scrubbed the kitchen sink (yes, before preparing dinner!), the powder room sink, around any other obvious bathroom areas, and the top of the wine bar.


Here's a good checklist for housecleaning in preparation for a dinner party:
KEY: No one will notice what IS clean, but they'll take fierce mental notes on what isn't.
1. Scrub floors. Nothing is worse than muck on the floor. It's the first thing people notice as they think, "should I take off my shoes?" and then look down toward their shoes.
2. Dust all flat surfaces Never underestimate it! We are not good dusters. Meaning, we've dusted twice in 5 months. Oops. But a quick once-over of all the flat top areas in any room in which we'll receive guests really makes a difference. No one will notice if it is, but they'll feel like everything else is a little dirty if it isn't.
3. Wipe down mirrors. Humans can't help but check themselves out when they walk by a mirror. A good host makes sure they notice themselves rather than foggy dust.
4. Double-check the toilet paper, towels, and soap. I had to reload both tp and soap in our powder room. It was used quite a bit that evening, so I'm glad I had the forethought to do this. 
5. Sweep under and around the dining table. I hadn't even realized that there was just---stuff---under there. 
6. Fill the ice-trays. Makes sense, right?
7. Re-clean any spotted wine or water glasses. This one has caught me off guard in the past. Our wine glasses used to dry with a cloudy rim. I've since remedied this problem, so now I'm more attentive to what isn't done correctly.


Third, the tone.
Hawk is the musical one in the family---by leaps and bounds, but I have a good sense of relaxing music. Not always good tailgate music, but a girl can't be perfect all the time.

madeleine peyroux

So with a new itunes giftcard, Jen downloaded some Madeleine Peyroux. She's fantastic. We had some Punch Brothers & Chris Thile waiting for when things got going. We made sure all the music was ready so we could enjoy it as we prepared and ensure that nothing was off kilter.

Fourth, the host.

Knowing that Hawk would arrive 15 minutes before our guests, that meant showering, hair, make-up, etc. had to be completed at least 2 hours before guests arrive. Jen's hair takes forever to dry, and she never blow-dries it because she'll look like someone in high school in the 90's (c'mon, you know exactly what we mean). This meant that Jen scheduled off from work beginning at 4:00pm, went in to work early that day, and made sure to leave the house as clean as possible so that most of the time could be spent on the food prep. By the time Hawk arrived, most of the work was completed. We are lucky to work so well together in these instances; Hawk came home and jumped right into setting the rest of the table items, filling water jubs, the decanter, ice trays, etc. Then, he made sure to be ready to greet guests when they rang the bell, take their coats, and offer them something refreshing to drink. 

{devote}Nonetheless, we had a 3-minute fight. 3-minutes in part because in 6 minutes, our guests arrived. Being under a bit of stress of course placed stress on our marriage, even for those brief moments, but those moments can build into bigger matters later. So we paused in the midst of our preparations and did a quick check of why we were both irritated, talked it out, settled it (each choosing to relax our stringent requirements), and give a little kiss before returning to our duties. Had we not paused to settle things, our friends would surely have sensed something between us, and we would have been tempted to treat each other with less love and dignity. Pausing to settle the matter and to both apologize meant that we were free to enjoy and be enjoyed.

Fifth, the guest list.

This is an often overlooked but essential ingredient to a memorable and pleasant dinner party. We have attended a few over the years in which the mixture of people didn't truly provide opportunity for conversational ease. Things felt forced. If the mix isn't thought out, guests might feel like hosts themselves, having to entertain the person next to them instead of enjoy the person next to them. For this party, we were lucky; 3 of the couples are good friends and have hosted us at least once in the same way. The fourth couple is acquainted with two of the three (sounds like a riddle) but hasn't known everyone as long.

So there's our short list of preparation. Short in that is was easily accomplished and spread out over three days.

Check back tomorrow for Part II

icj,

~j & Hawk

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